We offer prayer support and comfort to the brokenhearted who suffer the pains of infertility at any stage of life, difficult pregnancy, miscarriage, stillbirth, the loss of a child and the adoption process.

Infertility

Saint Hannah (Old Testament saint, mother of the prophet Samuel)

You are not alone in your sufferings, Saint Hannah also suffered infertility in her married life until the Lord heard the cry of her heart. She went before the altar of the Lord and the high priest Fr. Eli told her that the Lord had heard her prayer, she obeyed his direction and went home to her husband.

Many couples struggle with infertility and somehow they are given the grace to follow Church teaching, please visit:

Pope: Facing infertility with care and hope

(this is a quote taken from the resource link below this post)

2012-02-25 Vatican Radio

Pope Benedict said : “The human and Christian dignity of procreation, consists not in a “product”, but in its connection with the conjugal act, an expression of love of the spouses, their union which is not only biological but also spiritual”.

He said: “This approach is moved not only from the desire to gift the couple a child, but to restore fertility to couple and with it all the dignity of being responsible for their own reproductive choices, to be God’s collaborators in the generation of a new human being. The search for a diagnosis and therapy is scientifically the correct approach to the issue of infertility, but it must also be respectful of the integral humanity of those involved. In fact, the union of man and woman in that community of love and life that is marriage, is the only “place” worthy for the call into existence of a new human being, which is always a gift”.

But what happens when even science cannot provide the answer to a couples desire for parenthood? Here the Pope warned against what he described as “the lure of the technology of artificial insemination” where “scientism and the logic of profit seem to dominate the field of infertility and human procreation, to the point of limiting many other areas of research”.

The Holy Father noted that “So I would like to remind the couples who are experiencing the condition of infertility, that their vocation to marriage is no less because of this. Spouses, for their own baptismal and marriage vocation, are called to cooperate with God in the creation of a new humanity. The vocation to love, in fact, is a vocation to the gift of self and this is a possibility that no organic condition can prevent. There, where science has not yet found an answer, the answer that gives light comes from Christ”.

37 thoughts on “Infertility”

Please pray for me. I have been struggling with infertility for over 7 yrs now, and I am going through pre-menopause. I have been doing Na Pro for the past years and went through multiple surgeries. I want to adopt but my husband doesn’t. Its been so hard carry this cross and accepting it. God’s Will be done. He knows what is best. The desire of wanting a child is so strong, at times I feel so depressed, but I offer it to God. Elana

Please consider praying the chaplet of Hannah’s Tears, especially before the Blessed Sacrament. As we learn to unite our cross with Christ each day He will lead us along a bright new path. We will also pray for your husbands openness to God’s holy will in regards to adoption. Try to pray with a quiet heart and let Our Lord work His plan.

We too having been struggling with infertility for a couple years. The last two times we were pregnant we miscarried. My husband too, is not open to adoption right now. So, trust me I know what you are going through. I had to say to God one day, “I want your will more than I want children.” I didn’t feel it, but just said it and things are looking brighter for my husband and me, especially in our marital relationship. My husband cares for his health more than he used to and our marriage is doing so well. There is hope, just give it to God and I will keep you in my prayers. I do hope and pray that children will be in our future and I will pray that for you too. Just remember, it is possible to have joy whether you have children (alive) or not. It’s a one-day-at-a-time journey!

Please pray from me cause I have been struggling with fertility treatments for two and a half years now. I have two boys from a previous marriage 24 and 17 the youngest is mentally retarded for no known reason genetic chromosomal or otherwise. My first husband died more than three years ago by cancer after a long difficult nearly impossible marriage I cherished with patience and prayers. I told myself I want to make a new life with God’s consent without sins under God’s blessings so I remarried and am very happy with it so are my children. My duty is to have a child of his as he is helping me in all ways to raise my children. I will be very happy to have a new baby and fulfill our life with God’s fruit of love. Please pray for me.

Please pray for my friend,she has been married for four years and she lose her only child and now she has no another one. And i need your prays too because am married and people have been looking to have children

In need of prayer. My husband and I have been married for 3 years and have been trying to conceive. Due to many complications with my stomach and gastrointestinal tract I found out that having a child may not be in the cards for us. I’m asking that the power of prayer will defeat science and bless my husband and I with a baby. Lord we have been walking the path that you have set for us and we believe that you are guiding us through our difficult moments, i pray that you bless us with ur creation.

Please pray for me to conceive and have a child. I had a miscarriage a year ago and went through a major surgery. We started trying again to conceive six months ago to no avail. I am getting older and time is not on our side. With Gods grace I know that everything is possible. Please join me in prayer so that the lord may hear my plea for a child. Thank you.

Please GOD, please, please grant us a healthy baby. We just underwent IVF, however the HCG levels are quite low which may be indicative of a poor implantation and then miscarriage. Please GOD, Oh Lord…please make our embryo healthy… and please make the embryo attachment stronger… please please save this baby… we are waiting for this for 10 and a half years now…..

For couples that are experiencing infertility, the desire to have a child can be overwhelming. Every month that passes is another missed opportunity. Depression, grief, sadness, and despair eventually set in and at some point most couples become desperate enough to gamble with tens of thousands of dollars on expensive procedures like InVitro Fertilization (IVF) without fully understanding what they are getting themselves into. For the vast majority of couples who try IVF, false hopes turn false, and things that sound too good to be true prove to be so.

Before you decide to spend your precious savings on IVF or any of its latest forms such as Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) you owe it to yourself to find out more about NaProTechnology (NPT), a medically sound and scientifically supported approach to treating the cause of your infertility. “NaPro” means “natural-procreative” and as the name implies, it refers to the application of diagnostic and medical technologies toward achieving pregnancy “the natural way” through intercourse as opposed to a laboratory procedure.

Here are 10 reasons to choose NPT rather than IVF:

1. NaProTechnology Focuses on Disease

If a couple cannot get pregnant, it makes sense that the first thing the doctor must do is to find out why. This is THE goal of the complete NPT program. With IVF, the cause of infertility is not important and in the underlying problem it is completely ignored.

2. Success Rates are Better with NaProTechnology

Recent data from the Pope Paul VI Institute in Omaha, NE, show that NaProTechnology success rates are 1.5 to 3 times better than IVF (23.5% versus 38.4%-81.8%). In a 4 year study of 95 NPT couples who had been trying to conceive for an average of 6.1 years and had 176 failed attempts at an Artificial Reproductive Technique (ART) Boyle[1] reported that there were 123 conceptions. Life table analysis demonstrated increasing success the longer that couples remained in the NPT program with 26.2% pregnant at 12 to 17 months rising to 32.6% at 18-25 months.

3. Destruction of Embryos

An analysis of ART data[2] from 1983 to 1986 demonstrated that the transfer of 1,372 embryos (3.2 per woman) resulted in 81 live births. From this data, it is necessary to create 16.9 living embryos to produce one live birth. The higher reported rates of success for IVF procedures usually means more embryos are being transferred which increases the risk of multiple births.

4. Infanticide: “Selective Reduction”

One of the most objectionable things about IVF is that it can result in a situation where a woman is forced to deal with a dangerously high multiple pregnancy rate. Pregnancy risk increases dramatically with the number of babies in the womb. Frequently, women are compelled to selectively “reduce” (i.e., kill) additional babies in the womb due to unacceptably high pregnancy risk.

5. Natural Sex versus a Laboratory Procedure

In IVF, the sperm and eggs (gametes) are collected through masturbation (male) and harvesting (female) where they meet in a laboratory to form embryos which are then reintroduced into the woman’s body. NPT, on the other hand, relies on a natural act of intercourse to achieve pregnancy.

6. NaProTechnology is more cost effective

According to Collins[3], the median cost of one cycle of IVF in the United States in 2001 is $9,226. $20-30,000 expenses are not unheard of, however, because IVF clinics prefer to sell discount packages (multiple cycles) in order to increase success rates and allow for “shared” risk. In comparison, at one medical center in Duarte, CA (Santa Teresita), NPT has been cited as costing approximately $9,290 which includes a physician evaluation, hormone and ultrasound evaluation, and outpatient surgical treatment of infertility.

7. Pregnancy Outcomes

There is growing concern that IVF may have significant adverse effects on the children conceived with this procedure. In a study of birth defects after ICSI and IVF procedures, Hansen et al.[4] reported that ICSI and IVF babies were more than twice as likely to have been diagnosed with a major birth defect by the end of one year of life (8.6% and 9.0%) as compared to naturally conceived babies (4.2%).

8. You could get pregnant again!

Because natural fertility is restored with NPT, these couples are often able to get pregnant again. In the Boyle study[1] of 89 births in women who had failed ART, there were 14 women with 2 live births, and 1 woman with 3 live births. Since IVF does nothing to correct the cause of infertility, there is no benefit toward subsequent pregnancies.

9. What will you have to show for it?

Ironically, in some cases IVF procedures cause additional harm to the female reproductive system in the course of treatment. For example, some IVF clinics will perform surgical removal of a blocked and swollen fallopian tube in order to increase success rates[5]. In these cases, when IVF fails, fallopian tube repair is no longer an option. This approach is contrary to the natural and restorative orientation of the NPT physician and surgeon[6]. NPT is designed to restore (not destroy) reproductive function. If nothing else, NPT couples have had the underlying cause of the problem addressed which often results in better overall health.

10. What happens after you get pregnant?

This is perhaps the most important question. Frequently, couples who pursue IVF have not thought about what happens next. Success equals pregnancy. Unfortunately, ignoring the underlying problem that leads to infertility in the first place can adversely affect the pregnancy and even lead to miscarriage. With NPT, restoring health and fertility begins before conception and continues throughout the pregnancy with the aim of preventing miscarriage and promoting the optimum health of the newborn baby and mother.

For couples who are struggling with infertility, in vitro fertilization (IVF) can seem like the only way to achieve a pregnancy. Many couples, however, are discovering a revolutionary breakthrough in reproductive medicine called NaProTechnology that is proving to be just as successful and more cost effective in assisting these couples to start new families. Best of all, NPT restores fertility, allowing for conception to occur naturally.

David Picella helps couples who are trying to conceive naturally without the use of expensive artificial reproductive techniques. You can read more articles published by him and by other experts in this area at: http://www.majella.us

Please pray for me and my wife. We have been trying for over two years now and the dr has found that i am the cause. I have no sperm and am now on injection with the hope that it may trigger my body to reproduce sperm.

Please pray for my husband and I. We have been trying to conceive for nearly four years. Lovingly my husband is there for me when I have days that are more difficult to bear the cross, but often, I find only the Lord consoles my heart. We are specifically trying to discern whether or not the Lord is calling us to adoption. Thank you.

Please pray for me and my husband to bless us with healthy baby/babies.. We have been struggling for a few years now and still no luck. We know that God has a plan for us and whatever it is it would be the best for us…We pray for strength and discernment to be able to see what’s His plan and be able to accept it wholeheartedly. God bless us always.

I pray for all my brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, who are bearing this very painful and difficult cross of infertility. I share this pain with you, with the blind faith that God has other plans for us. But I find myself currently in a depression that brings me to tears whenever I see a baby; I offer each tear for the Souls in Purgatory. It seems no matter how many years have passed, the pain is still fresh. My husband did not want to adopt, and that has added to the weight of the cross. This website has been a gift from God, as I have just found it. God bless you! We will help each other through this with love, patience, prayer, and faith In our Lord!

I wanted to add a little note regarding our Catholic faith and Church teachings regarding reproductive technology. The secular reproductive medical world is cruel, cold, and not interested in helping you; you are the means by which they make the money to live a very affluent lifestyle. They won’t even look at you until they have done their monetary homework on your financial ability to afford their services. This is what is boils down to and don’t let anyone tell you any different. Then when you tell them of your religious beliefs, the contempt is even greater. They are devoid of true knowledge regarding the spiritual consequences to our souls when they tempt our aching hearts and empty arms with the one hope so deep within our being. I have been there and with great pain, great heartache, turned away from their temptation. Offer up this pain and unite it with Jesus Christ on the Cross. In this emotional storm, know that your blind faith in His Love for us, will come back to you. Perhaps not in this life, but in the next. Our time on earth is but a blink of an eye compared to the joys promised in Heaven. Be assured of the great grace and blessings for your sufferings. Place yourselves deep within His most Sacred Heart and ask Him to have mercy upon you. He loves us always. He knows our sufferings. God bless you.

Thank you Josephine, please pray for courage as it takes HOLY courage to walk with Holy Mother Church. This is truly not easy… God bless you for your courage in this walk. Pray for our Church and those that lead us.

Please pray for my husband and I – we have a lovely daughter but have been trying to conceive a second child for two years now. I have had two miscarriages, one on the evening of Mother’s Day 2012 and another within the last couple of days. Although we have been praying for God’s will, that doesn’t make the heartache any less. Going through these struggles have made us appreciate our daughter more than we thought possible, but at the same time we want to be able to give her the sibling she longs for. We have been praying Hannah’s chapter for a couple of weeks now and with it we pray for understand and patience which is the hardest of all.

My daughter is trying to get pregnant since she had a miscarriage almost a year and a have. She has sufered from several urinary infections, Scherichia Coli, and now the Doctor found out one of her Fallopian Tubes is completely close and the other one has narrowed, making it hard to conceive again. She is very upset, and we her parents too. To our Lord there is nothing imposible, and miracles do exist, so I beg you pray for her. We are from South America.
Thank You for your prayers.

I am so glad that I found this site. My husband and I have been struggling with my inability to conceive for 3 years now. I have been asking both Saint Anne and Saint Hannah to pray for me. I find a renewed hope in all I have found here. Thank you and God bless your work. <3

I have been struggling with infertility for over 7 years. My Fallopian tubes were damaged and removed after a surgery. I still would love to have a child but my only alternative is through IVF. Is it not accepted by the catholic church to do IVF?

We are very sorry to hear of your sufferings, it is difficult to hear that your doctor removed your fallopian tubes. This is the reason why the Apostolate of Hannah’s Tears is here to promote and teach to spread the information that is available about NaProTechnology and Natural Family Planning, Dr. Thomas Hilgers is a faithful Catholic Doctor who has made great strides helping couples conceive naturally even if their fallopian tubes were cemented shut. It is with sorrow I tell you but in this situation the Church says if there is no way for you to conceive naturally than by all means you should pray about adoption or foster care. Just because this has happened it does in no way open the door for the Church to approve of IVF.

We will keep you and your husband both lifted in our prayers, please consider taking time to go before Our Lord in Eucharistic Adoration and praying the chaplet of Hannah’s Tears, I have added the links below for your needs.

After 5years of trying to have a baby, our daughter finally conceived only to have our perfectly healthy granddaughter’s heart just stop beating 1 month from her due date. In the hours that followed, our daughter hemorrhaged and we almost lost her. It is difficult to watch the pain she and her husband suffer as we have our daughter and they have lost theirs (our beautiful granddaughter). Our prayers seem unanswered as we watch the pain, sadness and frustration of trying again to get pregnant to no avail and the stress that is becoming apparent on their marriage. Please aid us in praying for this beautiful couple that is so precious to us. Thank you and our prayers will be with all of you.

For all of you going through infertility, my heart goes out to you. I will pray for you. For those who tried or thought of trying IVF, please do not! I understand your anguish. Think about all lives created then destroyed. IVF is not part of God’s plan for our marriages and His children. There are so many options we can do as catholic couples that are more effective. Please play within the boundaries given to us and no matter the outcome, if we conceive or not, our obedience to God out of love for Him will be repaid a hundredfold. We have gone through almost 6 years of infertility. The last three I have spent on various medications, rounds of testing, and most recently ovarian laproscopic surgery with a wonderful Catholic obgyn who was a 5 hour drive back to my home state of Michigan. Please, if you read my post please pray for us to get pregnant. We have about a six month window with more meds where are odds increase. Thanks for your prayers, and be assured also of mine!

I keep this prayer at the feet of St. Hannah with lots of expectation mother i am trying to conceive from past few months and meeting doctor and having medicines but nothing happened today i place this prayer and request you to bless me with a male child, i know its difficult to conceive in 40’s you went through so much depression and shed tears today i keep everything to you please help me to get the good new and thank God and you for the miracles, please help me mother, help to conceive. You have special courtesy for mothers who want to conceive i love to conceive please help me.

Dear Intersessors,
With a saddened but hopeful heart I ask you to please pray for my husband and I to conceive beautiful healthy living babies. After many years of infertility and treatments we did conceive but lost all of them. We have lost many babies due to miscarriage, still births, and ectopic pregnancies. I am told that there may no longer be hope for natural conception as both my tubes are blocked. Please also pray that I dont loose faith as I am finding it harder to keep it. Thank you for your prayers.

We are so very sorry for your losses, have you ever considered contacting the Pope Paul VI Institute? I have known someone who was able to have her tubes cleared out as they appeared to be cemented shut. Please find the web site below.

Me and my husband suffering infertility we found out that my husband suffering low motility and sperm count we are so hopeless at this moment of our lives 10 years of bieng each other but still we can’t conceive pls help us pls